Fate:Return to Zero
by SashaSeer
Summary: Fate is a funny thing; a simple choice at an unimportant time, can lead one down multiple paths. And yet every choice, no matter how small, how unimportant, or even how unassociated has far reaching consequences, and one fool's desire for the strongest, has changed the world for the worst. The only thing anybody can do to set things right, is to return. Return to Zero.
1. Prologue

Prologue: How we began

**I do not own Fate/Zero, or any of the characters in this fic**

* * *

**_"Let me tell all you children a story…"_**

**_"A story of a man…"_**

**_"A lone warrior, who more than anyone else…"_**

**_"Believed he could become a Hero…"_**

**_"Yet, his path was wrought with nothing but despair…"_**

**_"Still he carried on, spurned by a dream…"_**

**_"Until his eyes could no longer see the World…"_**

**_"But, as you know children, the World is not kind to those who cloud their gaze…"_**

**_"With foolish ideals…"_**

* * *

I stand now at the crossroads of Fate, alone with naught but my memories, and my blades. I wonder, did he stand here, did he make this decision, or is this something for me alone.

No, he stood here all those never-were years gone, just as I am doing so now, facing the same sadism before my own eyes…

* * *

**_"So the World gave the foolish man a choice…"_**

**_"One that would tear, both his dream and his heart asunder…"_**

**_"For whichever he chose he would be transformed into a monster…"_**

**_"Oh yes children, the World truly is a cruel and sadistic entity…"_**

* * *

He stared down at all this, and he took the only option available to him, and it destroyed who he was, made him into the him I saw, his blade against mine. But I have a choice. I could follow his path and end up damaged, or I could turn my back on the reality before me and lose my last chance for redemption.

How long ago had it been, since that conflict: decades, centuries? I can't remember anymore. It had gone so very wrong so fast. The anger of a monster, the loss of a loved one, the corruption of a saint, siding with an enemy against a greater threat, the breaking of a dear friend, the destruction of a sibling, and finally through it all we emerged, stronger, alive, together. And yet the casualties far exceeded the survivors. The damaged never-was man, died saving my life. The most divine of us had fallen so far. A family lay divided. My body wasn't even remotely human anymore. And those who I had called siblings were dead and buried. But there was still a chance, a chance to fix everything. A dream, not one from my mind, showed me the way. So I followed it's guidance, and for those innumerable years, it has been my only beacon in the dark.

I had allies, those who had stood with me through my trials, those I defended from the darkness, and those whom I had led. We all marched forward, following this road, the one walked by him so many years before. Yet slowly, one by one, they left, either by an opponent's choosing or by their own will, the last one I had thought would stay by my side for far longer. Yet in the end, I had made it here, alone.

* * *

**_"Wallowing on the past, the man looked once more on the horizon…"_**

**_"Steel in his heart, and his blood alight, his gaze lowered to those before him…"_**

* * *

That was one thing that set him and me apart: my allies' left, he pushed his away. Lucky Bastard. Though I doubt his deeds had ever earned him the title 'King', or that his legend was as merciful as mine. What matters however is the vision, but now it seems the only way to make it come to pass, is to let the cycle continue, and give up salvation.

They come for me now, those that did this heinous deed. They know I'm injured, and what my weakness is. And here is where I stand, damnation, or rejection. Which would be the lesser betrayal…

* * *

**_"And decided."_**

* * *

**_"Fate's wheel turned once more…"_**

**_"The World rejoiced…"_**

**_"And in a time long past…"_**

**_"War began, at Zero."_**

* * *

Author's Note 1: And so beings my Fate/Zero fanfic, and no this isn't going to be the format for it.

Now you may be wondering why I started to write this so soon after starting Otra Ves? Heck Otra Ves hasn't been updated for a while as well, so why did I start on this one? Because I'm stuck. I know what to write, how to write it, but I can't make it connect, and I don't want to leave it for the next chapter. So I started this to just write and hopefully it'll all work out in the end.

Hopefully.


	2. Chapter 1: Setting the Stage

Chapter 1: Setting the Stage

**I do not own Fate/Zero, or any of the characters in this fic.**

* * *

_Alone…_

That was the only thought inside his head as he 'sat' inside the Grail. Angra Mainyu was alone. The embodiment of all the world's evil 'sat' alone, the Grail having long ago been corrupted by his influence, ever since the nightmare that was the Third Holy Grail War sixty years previous, the former Avenger class Servant sat alone.

He had been summoned to that war, in place of the Berserker class by the fools of the Einzbern family, and he alone emerged victorious. Oh yes, nobody had managed to obtain the wish granting cup, but his summoning, and subsequent defeat, opened the doorway, and allowed the Zoroastrian god to corrupt the Greater Grail.

It was through this connection that the dark spirit discovered the tears of the universe; as if one had shredded reality, and stitched it back together with bits and pieces of other ones. He had seen it all, and understood, long ago. And so he 'sat', alone, but content, for he knew what was to come. A new war, with new stakes, and new competitors, and an old 'friend'. Oh yes, Angra Mainyu was going to be wonderfully entertained… After all, there hadn't been eight Servants before...

_Alone… But not forever…_

* * *

**_"Fate, my children, is a mysterious force, but one thing about it is known…"_**

**_"Fate is fickle."_**

**_"Any simple choice that's made, can alter fate in the most drastic of ways…"_**

**_"A necessary alliance, can bring about an end to suffering…"_**

**_"An eventful encounter, can turn a boy into a Hero of Justice…"_**

**_"A visit to a friend, can cause untold pain and suffering…"_**

**_"A lack of a Guardian, can lead to despair…"_**

**_"A prayer to the heavens, can avert disaster…"_**

**_"And even a wrong word, can bring about an era's greatest champion."_**

**_"Yet all these choices have far reaching consequences…"_**

**_"Both in the far flung future…"_**

**_"And even in the previously perused past."_**

* * *

**_In an undisclosed location, somewhere within the confines of Fuyuki City:_**

Kirei Kotomine had just summoned the first servant of the Fourth Holy Grail war, and waited for the smoke from the ritual to dissipate enough to give the priest a proper look at the Heroic Spirit that had answered his call. He had summoned one under the Assassin class whom, if the research that he had done were true, would mean that Kirei would have the most advantageous Servant alongside his 'master' Tokiomi Tohsaka. Though he did wonder, if he hadn't added the lines to the mantra to summon Assassin, what Heroic Spirit would he have gotten if he had let the Grail decide based on compatibility. Maybe then he would've gained some measure of insight as to why he had been chosen to be a Master in the war.

Unlike the other competitors, who all desired something from the Grail, whether it be of a miraculous or mundane nature, Kirei did not. He had gone through life with no desire, no goals, no strong feelings for anything. He became a priest because it was what his father and brother had done, he had married to find something that gave him feeling, sired a child to strengthen that feeling, and even had a rivalry with his brother to give himself something to surpass. But all of it was for naught. Any studies in clergy bored him to no end, his wife was never anything more than someone who was there, his daughter became someone to care for not out of love but of necessity, and his brother, his elder by about 10 years, became distant with Kirei soon after becoming the younger priest's rival.

Kirei had admitted all this to his wife, some years back, saying that despite how much he tried, he could never find any love for his family, any compassion for others, or any meaning in what he did. That night she had killed herself, with a peaceful look on her face, and a note detailing her intentions. She had hoped that her death would spark some remorse in her husband, and through that, he would be able to find compassion for others; those suffering from the loss of a loved one, or who would soon lose a loved one. Her death would prove his humanity, and cause him to become a man he can be happy being. Yet even seeing her in that state, understanding why she had done so, Kirei still could feel no sadness, no grief, no remorse, over her passing.

He only felt regret, at not having seen her die. Yes he would have indeed felt joy at seeing the life leave her eyes.

It was that revelation about himself, along with the teachings of the Church, that caused him to forsake all joy, all desire, anything that would make him happy, for his happiness was surely evil. He had sent away his daughter to live with his mother's family after that, and devoted himself fully to the Church, hunting down evil, being regarded as a saviour, and still feeling empty, and cold. At least until the command seals appeared on his hand three years ago, signifying his role as Master, and his entry into the war began under the tutelage of Tokiomi Tohsaka.

With the clearing smoke shaking him out of his reverie, Kirei's eyes fell upon the figure standing before him; an individual dressed in red accented black leather with a cowl and mask covering all of their features from the priest, with an ominous dagger held at the hip, along with five others at various other points of the body, this person truly appeared to embody all aspects of Assassin that Kirei could think of. Except for the fact that this individual also held a sword. Inspecting the impossibly black sword, Kirei could feel the hunger, radiating from the very core of it's steel.

Whilst a bit taken aback by the blade, Kirei was still convinced that this was one of the many beings formed from 'The Old Man of the Mountain' Hassan-i Sabbah.

It was then that the Servant spoke.

"Are you the one who performed the ritual?" they asked in a voice that held no hint to their gender.

"I am, and you are Servant Assassin?" Kirei asked in response of the odd phrasing the Servant had used.

"Yes, and no." the Servant replied, a hint of mirth in their tone.

"Elaborate."

"My Lord, who is the true Servant Assassin, has no corporeal form, and has thus sent I, the human leader of his Guild, shared third command of his order, and part of his Noble Phantasm, in his stead. Along with myself, all other members of his order, each one a Heroic Spirit in their own right, are under your command as Servant Assassin's mortal instruments." the, apparent, Noble Phantasm answered .

"How many and how strong are in this order?" Kirei requested, depending on the number, he and his 'master' may have to change their plans for the first night.

"Aside from my Lord, and his bride, the Unholy Matron, his order is over 100 strong, each with their own unique weapons and abilities that can be utilised as part of my Lord's other Noble Phantasm. I, as head of the guild dedicated to him, and one of the strongest in his order, have ranks, on average, of B-A" the follower of Assassin replied.

Kirei nodded and turned to leave, before the pseudo-Assassin continued.

"However, calling forth multiple members would severely limit the abilities of each member, if even ten of us were formed, then my abilities would fall to a D rank. If you have no further questions, I shall take my leave." and with that the pseudo-Assassin melted into spirit form, leaving Kirei seemingly alone.

The priest checked his command seals once more, noting once again the odd shape of them: a dark red, almost black, open palmed handprint.

The following week, aside from the Servant Saber, saw many unexpected summonings…

* * *

**_One week later, on the property of one Tokiomi Tohsaka:_**

Standing before the current head of the Tohsaka family was a blond haired, bare-chested young man, dressed in gilded leg armor with a red tasset covering all sides but the front, and golden pauldrons, over the top of a small golden weaved cape, whilst upon his back the youth carried twin golden blades. If any other individual were presented in such a fashion, most eyes would be drawn to either the outfit or the weaponry, however for Tokiomi, he could feel his eyes drawn to the youth's face, more importantly his eyes. The eyes of this young man were bright red, and held within them a bloodlust that paled to anything Tokiomi had ever seen. It was like staring into the eyes of a war god.

Forcing his gaze away from the eyes, Tokiomi spotted a strange mark upon the youth's chest. It was then that Tokiomi understood, this man was his king. He would serve this man for eternity, for this man is the Eternal King of Heroes, a man with no mortal equal, a man who is by virtue of birth, a god, a man…

"Hey!" the youth yelled, awakening Tokiomi from the throes of the young man's influence. He would have to be careful when looking at his Servant from now on, though it did prove without a shadow of a doubt his ritual had worked.

Tokiomi had heard from his student, and secret ally, Kirei about what had appeared during his summoning, and Tokiomi, though confident in his catalyst, the fossilised skin of the first snake, for the King of Uruk, he would have been a fool if he didn't consider such a thing happening to anyone else. However with the Servant standing before him, he realised the absurdity of his concerns.

"I am sorry my King, I, Tokiomi Tohkasa, humbly ask for your assis…"

"OH SHUT UP WITH THAT CRAP!" the Servant yelled at the man who was currently bowing to him. "For crying out loud, you're the Master, and I'm the Servant, not the other way around, idiot."

Startled at this outburst, Tokiomi raised his confused head, and flatly asked "What?"

"Jeez, I really hate this kind of attitude. Just because I was a King all those millennia ago, doesn't mean I am one now. Uruk is probably nothing but dust and stone right now, and yet every time I'm summoned it's always the same deal. 'I bow only to you my liege, even though I command your every action.' 'Your word is my law, my king, even though I hold absolute authority over you.' 'I would gladly lay down my life in your services, oh Eternal King of Heroes, even though I'm your only anchor to this world.' It got old back in the 13th century, and that was 7 odd hundred years back." the Servant complained, to Tokiomi, to his, apparently, previous Masters, to the World, who knew.

"Um, if I may interject?" Tokiomi asked his Servant, to which he got an angry "Of course you can, by Shamash, like I didn't just get through saying how I hate that kind of behaviour…"

"You are Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, are you not?"

"Yeah, that's right. Though I don't really like that title, so just call me by my class title: Servant Archer." the gilded king answered.

"Yes, of course, but I had heard that your anger was as legendary as your exploits. Was this a mistake?" Tokiomi questioned, wishing to get to the bottom of what was happening. This Archer wasn't anything like the Gilgamesh he had heard about that had partaken in some of the False Grail Wars that had occurred.

At this Archer smiled at his summoner.

"When I was king, I ruled with the idea that a king should have absolute rule over his followers, no matter who they were, because if a king shows any sign of weakness, they'll wake up with a knife in their back. That philosophy served me well during my time, and as such I expect those that call me as either a familiar or a Servant, to have that same mentality, or else my blades my yet find that sweet spot between the shoulders." Archer informed the Tohsaka patriarch.

"Your introduction just now has given me no confidence in your abilities to lead. But, I'm a generous man, so for now I'll give you a second chance. Don't waste it."

As Archer disappeared, going into spirit form, Tokiomi decided that now was a good time for wine. When he sat down in his study, glass of wine in hand, he watched as the moonlight illuminated his Command Seals; three angelic wings.

This was going to be an interesting war…

* * *

**_Elsewhere, in the penthouse suite of the Hyatt Hotel:_**

"What is the meaning of this!?" came the cry of one Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi, as he looked on with fury at the Servant standing before him. A tall, broad shouldered, pointed eared man, whose hair was a chaotic mess of dreadlocks tied into a ponytail, with extremely thick sideburns. Dressed in a long black hooded cloak, black pants, boots, and gloves, the man, denoted as the Servant Lancer by the six, simple, identical, dual-bladed lances in his possession, merely looked at Kayneth and his fiancée Sola-Ui, down at the summoning array, and laughed.

"And what, pray tell is so funny!?" Kayneth yelled again at Lancer.

"I assume, that you used these…" he indicated to the blades used as the catalyst in the summoning ritual. After Kayneth had lost his original catalyst in order to summon Alexander the Great as Rider, the Archibald family mage had resorted to using his second in order to summon Diarmuid Ua Duibhne; what fragments remained of his swords Moralltach and Beagalltach. And yet instead of the first knight of Fianna, Kayneth had gotten this, this… BRUTE!

"Yes, what of it?" the Master snapped back.

Still laughing, the Heroic Spirit lowered one of his weapons until the main blade was right next to the ones used for the ritual, and said "Then you may wish to check your sources."

It was then that both Kayneth and Sola-Ui noticed that the catalyst blades matched up perfectly with the blades at both ends of the Servant's lance.

When the shock of the situation died down, the Servant spoke once more, "I am Servant Lancer, if you didn't know, and I ask, which of you two is my Master?"

"Kayneth is the one who summoned you and he had the command seals, but it's my mana giving you form." Sola-Ui replied.

"Then I have nothing more to say…" Lancer stated, and proceeded to inspect the room he had been summoned in, that is until Kayneth, still angry at this development, brazenly declared "Before you leave, oaf, since you are not Diarmuid, I have no idea of your level of loyalty. So I would know, what is it that you want the Grail for?"

When Lancer stopped, and slowly turned back at Kayneth, Sola feared that her fiancée had let his anger get the better of him once more. It hadn't been the first time, and was the deciding factor in his lack of promotion in Clock Tower. It was also why he degraded that Velvet student of his after reading the boy's research paper, and his underlying reason for entering the Grail War to begin with. Except this time, she feared that his temper may have cost him his life. Not that it bothered her that much, just that she was standing quite close to him at the time he had said that stuff, and was worried Lancer would take that as a sign of her agreement with what he had said.

To her surprise however, Lancer merely smirked, and replied with "To reclaim the one thing that I had lost, so long ago, that means more than anything else…"

_What did he lose that was so important?_ She mused to herself…

* * *

**_Elsewhere, in the basement of the Matou Manor:_**

"…But let chaos cloud thine eyes. Thou, who art trapped in a cage of madness, And I, who doth hold thy chains!..." Kariya Matou chanted the extra lines required to summon a Servant of the Berserker class. It was suicidal to do for someone in his condition, but he didn't really have a choice in the matter. Like his 'father', the decrepit old vampire Zouken Matou, had said, Kariya's Magic Circuits were sub par for a magus who was to be a Master in the Grail War, and he wouldn't last more than a month afterward anyway, so summoning the most powerful Servant class, one that doesn't require precise prana control to use. Along with that, the old bastard held Sakura's fate as well, so Kariya really couldn't say no. It was the whole reason he entered into this God forsaken war.

So Berserker class it was.

The catalyst that Zouken had provided, a piece of rusted, black metal, probably a piece of some armor, started to react to the ritual.

When the smoke cleared enough, before the confused forms of both Karuya and Zouken, stood an imposing figure, clad in white armor, accented by brown, carrying some form of scythe-blade, as if it were a knight of death. However, what was confusing the Matou Master and Head was the fact that said knight wasn't wearing conventional armor, but rather a more post-modern type, evidenced by the style, build and form of the armor, along with the fact that the helmet was essentially half visor, that appeared to be made of some kind of gold interlocking metal. It gave the Servant a very alienesque look to him. The final thing that proved Berserker wasn't from the past, was the fact that his blade was also attached to some kind of large firearm, which was currently held to his back. Along with that there was a secondary weapon attached to Berserker's right thigh.

Berserker turned to face Kariya and growled at the man, to which he responded with "What?"

It was then that a small spectre of sorts wreathed in flames, appeared in-between the two and addressed Kariya. "I apologise for my companion, his voice hasn't been the same since he was shot in the throat. I am Sigma, and I shall be translating for Berserker. Are you our Master?"

"I am." Kariya said in a strained voice, before falling into a mild, yet painful coughing fit…

"Good, though forgive me for asking, but you do not seem well?." Sigma said, once more translating for Berserker.

"Really, I hadn't noticed." Kariya replied, both sarcastically and painfully, whilst looking at the Command Seals on his hand. _Why does it look like some kind of insignia?_

"Well Kariya." Zouken spoke up, for the first time since the summoning ritual, shaking Kariya out of his thoughts, somewhat amused by the pain of the Matou Master. "You have certainly summoned an… intriguing Servant. Just remember our arrangement, once the Grail is in my hands, Sakura-chan is yours to do with whatever you wish. Until then, she will remain under my care, learning the Matou craft. I must prepare for the likely event of you dropping dead before the war is even over, you understand."

Zouken then stalked out, leaving Master, Servant, and Servant's translator alone. Once the sound of his cane hitting stone was completely gone, Berserker made a sound similar to a hiss and a growl.

"What did he say?" Kariya inquired, to which Sigma replied with "Berserker is merely reminded of another like that old husk, and…"

"And?"

"And he wonders if we can kill him as well?"

Kariya merely said "Let's focus on the other Servants for now. Maybe later." to which Sigma smirked.

Berserker on the other hand, made a scan of his Master's biometrics…

* * *

**_Elsewhere, in the woods surrounding Fuyuki City:_**

Waver Velvet fell backwards onto the ground as the energy released during the summoning ritual had knocked him off his feet, but he didn't care. He had done it, he had summoned a Heroic Spirit, his magic may not have been as powerful, but he had still done it. He only wished he could see that self-inflated ass Kayneth's face when he saw that Waver had done it. Never mind the fact that Kayneth would most likely kill Waver the moment he saw the teen, the Velvet magus was too ecstatic to care.

When he had stormed out of that classroom after Kayneth's insult to his thesis, and had subsequently come across the package containing the catalyst Kayneth had ordered, Waver was entranced about getting his revenge. During his study of the Grail war, he became elated at the chance to not only get revenge, but also prove his thesis once and for all. When he had actually received the Command Seals, which took the form of a barcode with what could've been a face in the centre, marking him as a Master in the Grail war, he was overjoyed: the Grail, the omnipotent wish granting device of the Root of the world was saying that Waver Velvet, third generation magus, had as MUCH right to partake in the mage war of Fuyuki as anyone else, INCLUDING Kayneth. And now that the summoning ritual had worked, Waver was most likely the happiest man alive.

For about roughly the five seconds it took for the smoke to clear.

Because, standing in the middle of the summoning circle, there wasn't some kind of larger than life hero from ancient times, most likely born and bred for battle and conquest, with huge rippling muscles, and an air of confidence. Instead, all he got was an Asian, dark haired, teenage male, slightly older than Waver himself, dressed in jeans, a white leather jacket, and a slightly rust coloured shirt.

In his right hand, he carried a very blocky, twin-barrelled gun, which was predominately black, with yellow stripes running along the sides that framed the cyan decals running down the centre. The gun also possessed a grip on the underside of the barrel, and was oddly shaped, being more bulky at the back, tapering off in the middle, and becoming slimmer at the end. All in all, Waver felt for sure he had screwed up.

Weeping at his supposed failure of summoning a Heroic Spirit, he didn't notice the young man inspecting the catalyst, and then his outfit.

Sighing, the summoned man said to himself "I guess that's what happens when you improvise."

Turning to the sorrowful form of Waver, he said, much louder "I have been summoned to this place as the Servant Rider, so tell me, are you my Master?"

This caused Waver to stop crying, look up at Rider, and reply, in a less depressed tone, "Yes, I am your Master."

"Good." Rider nodded, before pulling Waver up, putting an arm around his shoulders and saying, "We've got a lot to talk about you and I, but first we need to find a café."

"Why a café?" Waver asked in confusion.

"So that we can spot the best places to steal from, of course. Now come on." and with that the Master-Servant duo began the Grail War's greatest crime spree.

_Why me…_

* * *

**_About two hours later, in the heart of Fuyuki's foreign style residential district:_**

The deranged man named Uryuu Ryuunosuke was using his foot to paint something on the floor of the house he was in, all the while repeating, in a singsong voice, the instructions in the book he was holding. As he continued his singing and painting, the TV continued to give a report about a string of murders that had happened recently. Not that he cared; the murder wasn't going to get him. Why would he kill himself, after all? So he continued his painting and singing.

"Fill, fill, fill'er up, fill… And repeat four times… Wait…" At this Uryuu paused to check the instructions once more. The book was written by his ancestors and it was all about summoning demons, or something like that. The text had faded in parts, and the stuff that Uryuu could read was pretty vague. It did say something about summoning 'all the world's evil', and if that didn't describe a demon, what else did?

But in all honesty, Uryuu just preferred to kill people. Though he would admit that fear made it so much cooler, and when they learned he was sacrificing them to summon a demon, it was just too much. So he kept on going. No, he was definitely going to keep doing this, even if he did succeed.

"Maybe it was five times?" he said, confused, as he flipped back through the book trying to find the right passage again. "Destroy each when filled…" he re-read as he continued to work on the summoning circle he had painted. Behind him the TV kept reporting about his art. The idiots in the media kept reporting him as some kind of demon, just because the cops had found the circles he kept painting.

It was then that the kid he had tied up, so that he could feed the demon we he summoned it, woke up. And then Uryuu heard the kid's muffled scream as he saw the mutilated corpses of his parents. Sighing, the mass murder walked over to his next intended victim. He then proceeded to 'chat' with the small boy.

"Do you think demons exit, kiddo? The news keeps calling me one, but that seems rude if demons were real, don'tcha think?" The orange haired psychopath knelt down till he was face to face with the young boy, and with an increasingly creepy smile on his face he said "Yo, I'm Uryuu Ryuunosuke, and I'm a demon. Though I'm not sure if that's how I should introduce myself…" Uryuu then showed the kid the book he'd been reciting from. "Y'know, I found this old thing in a storehouse. Looks like my ancestors were trying to summon demons. Isn't that just the coolest? I gotta try it out, see if it works…" the kid's struggling and muffled screams grew louder, trying, pleading for someone, anyone to help him. "But if I do get one to show up, it'd be pretty dumb of me not to offer it something. Not to mention rude. So kid…" Uryuu then patted the boy's head, as if he was calming down a puppy. "If a demon does turn up, would you mind letting it eat you?"

This sent the kid over the edge. He screamed and screamed and screamed, but Uryuu was too smart. The gags, and where they were in the house, along with the hour meant that nobody was coming to his rescue. The only thing it did do was cause the killer to laugh as if he'd heard one of the greatest jokes ever told.

"I wonder what it's like to be killed by a demon. Man that'd be so coo-AH!" Uryuu flinched as a shooting pain went through his hand. Looking down he saw what revealed to be a skull with pigtails suddenly appeared upon his hand. As he was inspecting his new tattoo, the circle he had painted started to glow, and it was the boy's lack of screaming that brought Uryuu back to his reality.

Turning around, Uryuu was startled to see that a teenage girl was standing in the centre of his demon circle. She was wearing a red skirt with a white corset, red thigh length boots, and white gloves that reached up halfway past her elbow. She wore her yellow hair in pigtails, with a red beret. In essence she looked like any ordinary 13-year-old Ero Lolita, if it weren't for five things. The first was that over her outfit she wore a high collared cape, usually seen on pre-pop culture vampires. The second was that her eyes were glowing red. The third was her full, ample… let's go with 'assets' shall we? The fourth was that she was wielding a fairly non-descript katana, one that radiated a blood lust that even put Uryuu a bit on edge. And finally, the fifth reason why she wasn't like any ordinary 13-year-old Ero Lolita was that she was cackling.

"FREEDOM AHAHAHAHAHAHA! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT DAI-SENSEI?! I'M FREEEEEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" The girl cheered, seemingly to the ceiling.

"So cool…" Uryuu whispered as he looked at the 'demon' that he had summoned. All of a sudden, the 'demon' girl simultaneously stopped laughing, and turned her attention to Uryuu.

"Are you the one who summoned me?' she asked, in a somewhat more stable tone than she had earlier presented.

"Um…" Uryuu started, he honestly wasn't expecting something like this. "Yeah, I guess I did. My name's Uryuu Ryuunosuke. I'm currently unemployed, and I basically like killing people. I prefer women and children since they make the best faces, but men are alright too."

The young girl stared at Uryuu for a while, her face set into a completely serious expression, studying Uryuu very intently. This lasted for a full minute before her feature shifted into something of an innocent grin a sister would have for an older brother, and she said "I'm so glad to have a Master like you, I'm Servant Caster for the Holy Grail War."

"Ok, cool…" Uryuu droned, not understanding half the words she had said. "Hey, you wanna eat this kid?"

"Would I?" Caster said with a cross between both childish and sadistic glee, as she approached the child, who at this point was completely paralysed with fear. Caster then unsheathed her sword, and the room grew darker. She then cut off the boy's legs, so as he couldn't ever kick her. She then severed his arms, so that he could never punch her. She kept cutting the boy, to make sure that he could not resist her in any way. She then ran her sword through the boy's torso, completely destroying his spine, killing him. Finally, just to make sure, she latched onto the corpse's neck, and drained it of any of the sweet red nectar that still remained.

After she had finished her desecration, Caster gave a flick of her wrist, cleaning off the blood from her sword, making sure she aimed for the remains. As soon as the blood touched ground, it lit a flame, burning away the body, so that no nasty Kuudere Necromancer would be able to revive him. When the magical flames died down, Caster turned back to her Master.

"What do you think Master. I find efficiency to be very practical, and it is more fun to 'play' with your 'food' rather than eat it all in one go, don't you think?" Caster spoke, in a very perverse version of a cute, shy, little sister tone. The very kind that had kept others off her radar for so long back during her time in Tokyo.

"That was so COOL!" Uryuu clapped, jumping up and down. He then grabbed Caster's hand is his own and said "You are the coolest girl I've ever met! I don't know anything about this Holy Quail thing or whatever, but I'll follow you around wherever. Show me cooler and cooler ways to kill people."

Caster smiled at this, and replied "I think this is the start of something beautiful…"

* * *

**_Outside the Tohsaka Manor:_**

"The final Servant has been summoned…" Kirei Kotomine mused to himself as he prepared for his role in his 'master's' plan. Turning to the aspect of Assassin, who they both agreed would be referred and respond to Assassin, for conveniences sake, Kirei merely told him "It's time." and the aspect was off.

It was when he had landed outside the Bounded Field of the Tohsaka Manor that Kirei felt it. Another Servant summoning ritual was taking place in Fuyuki. "Assassin, return to my side immediately!" Kirei instructed through the mental link with the aspect, before he made a steady retreat back to his hideout. There was an Eighth Master in the Holy Grail War. He needed to consult his father and 'master' before making their next move.

* * *

**_Elsewhere, in one of Fuyuki's Shinto district's houses:_**

A blinding flash illuminated the room, as the Eighth Master of the Fourth Holy Grail War had finally summoned his Servant. It had been excruciating to wait for the rest of them to be summoned, but now that they had, the tanned man could finally make his presence known. He hadn't known which Servant he'd be summoning, hopefully it was someone he would know, but he really didn't care. All he knew was that he had been selected by the Greater Grail one war to early. Yes, he knew he would be called on to be a Master, but when he did, it was to be before a grander stage. Eight Servants was too few. This only meant that whoever he got here, needed to be here, and he was the only candidate who'd be able to control them. Oh well, no time to ponder on that, he had a Servant to meet.

Standing in the middle of the Summoning array, was a tall man. His face was hard, his eyes stone, and his hair was white, showing that he had gone through so much during his life that it had gotten into his very soul. He wore a simple Kevlar body suit, under an over shirt, combat pants, a waist cape, and black steel-toed combat boots. His outer clothing, whilst red, hadn't always been that way. The Servant's Master could tell; it had been dyed that way from the blood of those who had opposed him. There was no arrogance, no mirth, just determination. His stance, whilst relaxed, was poised, ready to attack at a moment's notice. He was a warrior, through and through. Some would say he was a sheathed sword, hidden, waiting to strike.

Although he couldn't see it, the Eighth Master knew his Servant was as taken aback as he was. It wouldn't be hard to see why.

"Allow me to start off by saying, whoever it is you think I am, I'm not. But where are my manners…" at this the Eighth Master revealed his Command Seals to the Servant, ones which had taken the form of a Jewel encrusted sword, with a worm-like handle, and said "I am your Master."

The Servant stared intently at the Command Seals. He stared hard at them, and at the face of his Master. He had the old man's style, the heretic's look, and his style. Could it really be…

"I am Servant Avenger." Avenger finally said after a full two minutes of staring. His voice was gravely, as if smoke, or something else, had damaged the wind pipe.

"You are dismissed." the Eighth Master told him.

Oh that Grail was a funny one…

* * *

Author's Note 2: And there you have it folks, Chapter 1 is out, the Servants are summoned, and already there is a monkey wrench in people's plans. So my question for you lot is this; Can you guess who has been summoned? Correct answers will get a cookie, oh and Archer whilst given is a tad tricky, I mean there have been a lot of characters called Gilgamesh, and for the bonus round where there is Ice-cream up for grabs, Who can guess at the identity of the Eighth Master?

Now, answers can be submitted either by Review or Message, I don't care. Oh and stay tuned because things are about to get bumpy. TTFN.


	3. Chapter 2: Laying out the Plans

Chapter 2: Laying out the Plans

**I do not own Fate/Zero, or any of the characters in this fic.**

* * *

**_Two nights later, at the Mackenzie residence:_**

Waver collapsed on the bed he was using whilst staying with Glen and Martha Mackenzie. He had hypnotised the Canadian couple into believing he was their grandson from England, staying with them whilst on break. Personally he hated having to resort to such methods, but since he didn't have enough money to begin with, and the money he had in his student account, and from selling his family's possessions, wasn't all that much to boast about, a hotel was right out. Waver had already spent a sizable amount just getting to Fuyuki, and he even flew economy class. So, hypnotising was his only option if he wanted some food and a roof over his head, but he absolutely refused to take anything else from the old couple, he didn't want to steal from them.

Which then brought the young magus' thoughts back to his Servant.

Rider hadn't been around for more than an hour before the teenaged Servant had stolen two purses, one ice-cream cone, five lollipops, a stuffed bear, one hundred dollars worth in yen, and two pairs of sunglasses, one for each of them. And that was only what Waver had caught the Servant stealing, lord knew of how many other things the slightly elder of the two had managed to procure when Waver's back was turned.

When they had finally managed to find a café, or, more accurately, a coffee shop, one that was open so late, Rider then started detailing his plans for what stores the two were going to steal from first. It had taken Waver every ounce of willpower to not use a Command Seal right then and there…

* * *

**_Flashback:_**

_"…which is why we can't steal anything yet, alright?" Waver asked, praying that his Servant would listen to reason and not do anything to draw attention to them for the rest of the war._

_Said prayers went unanswered._

_"Nope." was all Rider said as he ate some more of the ice cream he had stolen earlier. The man had been summoned to a world where he had only been to once before, and that was for a job. He'd been in and out so fast; he hadn't been able to find anything even remotely interesting to steal._

_Sighing, Waver put his head on the table. It was then that the young Velvet magus noticed his Command Seals. He could use one to curb Rider's enthusiasm for thievery until the war was over. It would be so easy to do as well. The faint light the produced at this line of thought didn't hurt either._

No… _he scolded himself, _Once they're gone, they're gone, and then where will I be… I have to think, there's a way around this problem, without using the seals…

_"Please Rider, we need to focus on winning this war." Waver pleaded with the aloof Servant. "I mean, there's also your wish to consider…"_

_Rider stopped eating, and grew quiet very quickly, which caused Waver to look up at the Heroic Spirit given form. In those brief few seconds of silence, Waver saw sadness behind Rider's dark eyes._

_"Alright, we'll play it your way, for now." Rider concluded._

_Waver, breathing out a whisper of thanks to whatever deity was watching over him, asked Rider, "You said earlier that there were things we needed to discuss, what did you mean by that, aside from the obvious?"_

_At this Rider regained the cheerfully aloof persona he had before._

_"That, my dear Master, is actually very important in dealing with the war. Let me ask you something…" Rider then looked Waver dead in the eye, his face conveying absolute seriousness "With the way I look, and my main weapon, would you think I was some heroic figure of legend?"_

_This startled Waver slightly. Yes he had been confused by his Servant's attire, but Waver just jotted it down to being in civilian form. The gun however was still a mystery to him, but since the Grail was said to reach all across time and space, it wouldn't be hard to assume that Rider was someone from the future. But then there was the complication with the catalyst. The catalyst called for someone from the past, but Rider was obviously from this decade or at least someone from the next 19 years or so._

_In the end, all Waver could say was "No."_

_Rider smiled. "That's because I'm not, and, if I'm right, most of the others aren't either."_

_"A while back, I was contacted by this girl who said she had need of my services. I don't usually steal for others, and I told her as such, yet she was persistent, and after offering a treasure I couldn't refuse…" Waver would have scoffed at the idea that the promised payment was an actual 'treasure', but then again the catalysts for the summoning were treasures in and of themselves that included a piece of cloth Waver used that was supposedly from the cape of Alexander the Great. Instead he continued to listen to Rider's explanation "…I managed to find my way to this world about 5 years back, and stole some ancient relics that were of importance to her. She then told me to replace them with relics of her own that she'd given me, but for the last one, she just said to 'Use whatever, it doesn't really matter'. So I used a piece of my shirt. Originally I thought that she just wanted the pieces for some collection or whatever, but now, I think she just wanted to screw around with the War."_

_"Do you know what the other relics were, and who they belonged to?" Waver asked after the information of what his Servant was telling him sank in._

_Rider shook his head "Nope, and I didn't bother to find out, wasn't my problem, and quite frankly I didn't care. Though now I wish I did. But never mind that now…"_

_As two more patrons entered the coffee shop, Rider got up, and dragged Waver outside with him, without paying the bill. Once the two were alone, in the dark of the night, Rider continued his line of conversation from earlier._

_"If we're going to work together, I need to know three things about you. Your name, your wish, and your power." the look of seriousness back upon his face._

_Waver gulped before he answered. "I'm Waver Velvet, third generation magus of the Waver family. I'm the only one of my family that's actually taken an interest in magecraft, so my power isn't all that great, but I am a passable alchemist. I entered this war to prove that even though I'm not on a higher standing, even I can fight, and possibly win. As long as I can actually get the Grail, prove my theory that with hard work, plenty of experience, and adequate knowledge, anybody can become a high standing magus, and the whole blood system of today is just an outdated, archaic system with no real impact on how magic should be taught, and rub into that over inflated ass, I'll be fine if you take the wish." _

_Throughout all that, Rider had just studied his Master. Seeing the young man before him go through various emotions as he answered Rider's questions. His initial opinion of the young magus was of a malleable mould of a man, one that was still trying to discover himself, and needed an ideal/order/creed to shape him. It was when the mention of face rubbing was involved that Rider started to form a plan for how to shape his Master into a true successor of the Phantom Thief title the cyan Rider had held during his lifetime._

_In the meanwhile, he simply nodded at Waver's talk, and said "Fine, I can accept you as my Master, for now. So, with that out of the way…"_

_Rider then pulled out his odd gun from somewhere behind his back, and shot a bolt of light out at the road. Where the bolt had struck a series of illusionary bikes, one green, one red, and one blue, appeared, and seemed to run through eachother, until they blended together to form a fully realised, cyan and white motorcycle. From what Waver could see it had a similar design as not only Rider's gun, but also to the Command Seals on Waver's hand. It was streamlined, was big enough for two, and the design made it resemble a shark more than a bike. Even though he wasn't a bike nut, from the logo, Waver could tell it was a Honda model, but the style of it was 15, 18 years ahead of the current market. This he knew, and was also the proof that he needed to convince him that his Servant was someone from the future. It was truly a thing of beauty._

_"Let's head off to base, boss." Rider said, as he straddled the bike._

_"Wait, if we're sharing, what about you?" Waver inquired of his Servant._

_"Call me Daiki…"_

* * *

**_End Flashback:_**

After he had told him his true name, Rider had plopped Waver onto the rear seat of the bike, and the two had flown through the air to arrive back the Mackenzie house. Thankfully Waver hadn't had to hypnotise the elderly couple to explain Rider, as the Servant had, whilst not actually lied, did mislead Martha and Glen into believing he was a local who had just met Waver and was currently out of home, and that Waver said he was welcome to stay with him. It had helped that Rider was an apt fibber, and that he looked Japanese as well didn't hurt matters.

With the Mackenzie's believing the Servant, Waver had been able to come and go with him without much hassle. After finding out nothing new on any of the other Master's nor the mysterious Eighth, Waver had returned to the Mackenzie's, said that he was feeling tired and that he'd head off to bed. While it was mostly true, the summoning ritual had tired him out to no end, he instead decided to do what most of the other Master's were probably doing right now, and sent off his familiar to the one place he absolutely knew where a Master was: the Tohsaka Manor…

* * *

**_At the Tohsaka Manor:_**

Tokiomi Tohsaka was a careful man. He always took great care in knowing all the variables and outcomes before acting. Summoning his servant? He took measures to summon the one with the most powerful array of Noble Phantasms, thus giving him an edge in victory. Forming an ally in the war? He had chosen the one least likely to betray him for the Grail, and also the one who would be able to follow his command obediently. Everything he did, he did with precision and forethought.

But now that an Eighth Master had entered the war, and subsequently thrown a wrench in the first stage of Tokiomi's plan, the Tohsaka head was, understandably, angry.

He hadn't needed to hear from Kirei about the Eighth, the summoning ritual's energy was enough. Though there are methods that can keep other Master's from sensing the ritual's magic, the Eighth had purposely used more than enough prana, such that any imbecile with even one Circuit open would've been able to sense it, let alone Masters.

This upset had caused Kirei to abandon the first part of the plan earlier, and regroup in his temporary hideout. This left Tokiomi a reprieve of two days in order to properly adjust his plans. Without anything on this mysterious Eighth Master, Tokiomi was forced to continue as if nothing was different. And yet, just knowing that a Wild Card had entered the field meant that any move he made could cause his downfall.

For now, he would have Kirei continue his 'attack', show off Archer to the familiars of the other Masters, let Kirei seek refuge in the Church, and then pray that he was taking the right path.

* * *

**_Outside:_**

Kirei watched on as the Assassin aspect moved towards the Tohsaka Manor, again. This aspect was far different from the one that appeared before Kirei a week ago. This one was obviously male, and whilst his mask also clouded his features, his deep voice and body structure hid nothing of his gender. Along with that, this aspect's attire and weaponry greatly different from the one Kirei had previously met. Instead of black and red leather, this aspect wore what could be considered black robes, not unlike those worn by the priest himself. Except instead of Kevlar woven, mildly enchanted vestments of the Executors that Kirei wore, the aspect, who had called himself a 'Speaker' of Assassin's guild, wore a purely enchanted set of robes that slightly enhanced his stealth abilities, amongst others. In contrast to the enchanted robes, his main weapon of choice was a simple dagger made of steel. Another difference this aspect had from the previous was that every minute or so, he would ramble on about something to Kirei. The priest had found the 'Speaker' to be quite annoying, especially when he had repeated his little tale of the one called Bellamont, no less than 5 times.

Still, he wouldn't have to put up with it for that much longer. The 'Speaker' aspect, after having avoided tripping the sensory fields, and disabling some minor jewel powered fields, was reaching for the central jewel in the Tohsaka's bounded field defense system.

It was time…

* * *

**_With the 'Speaker' aspect:_**

A dull pain radiated from his hand, as a large knife embedded itself into his hand. Knives and daggers had been his tool of the trade during his service to his Lord, and so it had been fitting during his 'cleansing' that a knife had been the thing to… start off the process. The pain during that time was any who defied the Dread Father deserved, but he had been falsely accused, he was forced to pay for the crime of another, one who had manipulated his protégé into killing off members of their guild, the same protégé who had later become 'Listener'. Since then this 'Speaker' had been called many times as a spectre, to aid his family from the Void, a gift from his Lord he had never squandered. And so it was now that he had been called once more, and was aiding his family again, when the foreign object was lodged into his hand.

It seems that knives were always the thing to start his demises.

The last thing the 'Speaker' saw of the Grail War, was the whirlwind storm of oncoming weaponry, launched from ten portals of light, surrounding the Servant Archer.

Another story to tell the next time he was summoned. The dark haired Imperial smiled at that…

* * *

**_With Archer:_**

"And let that be a lesson and a warning to you all. Any who would dare hurt my Master, will receive no mercy. So says I, Gilgamesh, the Eternal King" Archer cried out from atop the Tohsaka Manor's roof, to the familiars of the other magi watching the skirmish. It was part of Tokiomi's plan: cause absolute fear in the other Master's by the reveal of whom he had summoned. Personally, Archer despised it. He had wanted to fight; it was the whole reason he was here now. But it was no use arguing with a Master, he had learned that during his earlier summonings.

After a few seconds to let the information sink in for all those witnessing, Archer decided to reinforce his words with a show of dominance. Which was why in the blink of an eye, five external viewing means were dispatched with extreme prejudice, right before what remained of the Assassin aspect was consumed by a visage made of darkness. After all it would ruin the plan if the others had seen that. With a final note on the amount of destruction he had caused, and on the earful Tokiomi was going to give him when he returned, Archer headed inside, with one thought running through his mind…

_You wouldn't have stood for this kind of skulking around, would you Saber…_

* * *

News of 'Assassin's' 'fate', and the one who dealt it, spread around to all the participants in one form or another. Whether it be via familiar, use of mystic fog, or even with modern technology, those of the other five proper Servants knew that 'Assassin' was 'killed' by Archer. More than that, they knew who Archer was. Many were troubled, some were eager for battle, whilst another was just plum crazy. All of them except the Eighth, and Avenger. However, he had his own ways.

"Come Avenger, let us go find my father." the Eighth commanded as he grabbed the last item of his attire. Many had wondered why a man such as him wore the strange red overcoat, not that many knew of their true meaning. The few who do wonder how one could leave that, the most heretical, group alive. Avenger was one of those few, having received, and subsequently modified, one of his own, from an ally in his travels.

If anybody had seen the two leaving the Eighth's humble abode, many would mistake them for brothers. Between the hair colour, skin tones, and their fashion sense, the two were that similar.

* * *

**_At the Mackenzie residence:_**

Waver re-awoke from seeing through his familiar's eyes. Said familiar had been killed the very moment after Archer had revealed his true name. Unbeknownst to the young magus, he was doing exactly what Tokiomi Tohsaka had wanted for all the Masters to do; Waver was feeling concerned, undoubtedly depressed, and extremely terrified. There was no way anyone could stand up to _freaking_ Gilgamesh of all things. Maybe if they could counter that weird weapon launching ability he'd demonstrated, but that was highly unlikely. Still he had a duty as Master to inform Rider of these new developments.

Said Servant was lounging around in front of the television in the room Waver was occupying, watching what appeared to be reruns of that childish Kamen Rider show. When Waver had asked him why he was so interested in such ridiculous attempts at entertainment, Rider had looked him dead in the eye, and coldly told Waver to "Never insult the Legends in my presence again, if you value your life." at which point Waver had held his tongue about the show. From what he could see it was one of the Kamen Rider Black series.

"Assassin has fallen." Waver told him, and whilst Rider heard that piece of information, it was what he didn't hear that pulled him away from his show, and towards his Master.

"You don't sound too excited…" the Servant stated, and he noticed the despair upon Waver's face. He had seen that enough times throughout his life, sometimes caused by his own actions, to recognise it here and now.

"The Servant that did it was Archer, he killed Assassin without mercy, and he revealed himself to the familiars watching…"

"I take it he's powerful, then?" Rider asked, noting Waver's continuingly paling face as he recounted what had happened.

"He's Gilgamesh, we can't stand up to him, not like this." Waver said weakly, as the reality of the situation finally registered itself upon his mind. "Maybe we should just give up…"

He stopped talking then and there, mostly because Rider hit him on the head with the butt of his gun.

"We are not giving up, not now, not ever, you hear me?" Rider proclaimed to the small form of his Master, who merely nodded in response.

"We'll beat this Gilgamesh fellow, beat all the other Servants, and steal victory from the other Masters, and get our wish!" Rider proclaimed to the heavens, rousing Waver back into action. "And we WILL do so together, Waver."

He didn't understand how he'd done it, but Rider had managed to chase away any doubt and fear from Waver's being.

For about ten seconds, before he said.

"Let's go on patrol, the fresh air would do you good."

If there were anyone outside at that time of night, they'd assume that the engine noise was from a plane or some other aircraft. The screaming though, would have puzzled them to no end.

* * *

**_At the Fuyuki Church (an hour later):_**

"My Servant has been lost. I have forfeited my right as Master, and cannot continue in the Holy Grail War. In accordance with the treaty I, Kirei Kotomine, ask the Church to shelter and protect me." the expressionless priest recited to his father, the overseer of the Fourth Holy Grail War, and the only true neutral party in the war. Or he was supposed to be, but with the deal that had been struck between the current head of the Tohsaka family and Risei Kotomine, the Masters of Assassin and Archer along with the overseer were all working together for the sake of Tokiomi to win the war, and receive his wish.

"Your request is accepted. By my role as judge I, Risei Kotomine, shall guarantee your safety." Risei responded with his own recital. Even though the Church was known as neutral territory, it was stupid to believe that nobody was watching the place. "Enter."

Once the father and son duo were inside, Kirei asked his father "Are you certain no one is listening to us right now?"

"Yes, the church grounds have been deemed a neutral sanctuary. If any Master were to defy that treaty, the Holy Church will censure them immediately." Risei replied.

"And what of the Eighth?"

Risei dropped his cocky attitude at that. "There has been nothing. This Eighth has yet to do anything more to reveal who they might be. No prana matching their signature, no sightings of a Master in the area the summoning occurred, absolutely nothing. And there is the Servant they had summoned…" it was here that Risei paused to gather himself.

"I told you about the Servants summoned in the Third Grail War, specifically the one that replaced Berserker?"

"Avenger…" Kirei replied, already not liking the implication his father was making.

Risei nodded "Yes, assuming that the other Masters summoned one of the typical Classes, then the only one left for this Eighth, due to meddling by the Einzberns on the rules of the Grail War, Avenger would be the only one left for anybody to summon."

Whilst on the outside, the younger Kotomine was as impassive as ever; on the inside he was pissing himself with fear. The stories he had been told of what the last Avenger had done during the Third war, had shook him right to the core. It had been the only time Kirei had felt anything remotely close to fear. And now the potential for another to have been summoned here and now, Kirei was slightly thankful his brother wasn't there, he knew all to well of Kirei's uncomfortable attitude towards the Avenger class.

"What do we know of Avenger's class abilities?" Kirei inquired, hoping to gain somewhat of an edge should he managed to find such a Servant.

"As far as those competing in the previous war noticed, the Avenger class doesn't have any skills. No enhancements to stats, no general abilities, and no extra bonuses. The Avengers have to rely only upon their legend for strength." Risei concluded, much to Kirei's relief.

As soon as he did the Assassin aspect that had been summoned by Kirei appeared, to which the Master ordered "Keep an eye out just in case, and have at least one watching the Church at all times."

"Of course, Summoner…" the aspect said. It was one of the oddities Kirei had noted after spending a week with Assassin's aspects, they never referred to Kirei as Master, but as Summoner. "For my Lord has many agents…" at that the church was filled with a multitude of shadowed entities. Of which, Kirei noted five lizard folk, two cat persons, a jester, six beings of elvish decent, an orc, a multitude of people that looked to be of Scandinavian decent, a child, two skeletons, a horse seemingly made of shadows, a rodent and a spider of unusual size, a handful of African assassins, and one that was as unknown as the original aspect he had received, along with at least one hundred others, that didn't really stand out much.

"And so long as you hold the seals, we all follow your order, Summoner." Most of them were wearing the same black and red leather armor combination, though some were also wearing the robes the sacrificed aspect had worn, though the jester wore the typical jester's outfit, one that was more red and black, than black and red. The orc was also in different attire, opting for a large suit of armor, as if he were a barbarian. Others also wore an old fashioned suit. Studying them closer Kirei could see that at least two of the aspects were vampires, another was a were-creature, and another one was something else entirely.

Kirei gathered himself, not striking out at the heretical abominations that his Executor training was demanding that he do. Once composed again, he told the aspects gathered, "You will remain unseen, and survey the other Masters, Servants, and those of special interest. Aside from that find out what you can on this mysterious Eighth Master."

And with that, the majority of the aspects faded from view, each going off to do one of the jobs the collective had been assigned, save for three: the original called, the barbarian orc, and the rodent of unusual size.

As the group were beginning to leave, each heading to a different part of the church, a knock came at the door. This caused two sets of eyes to look at the offending door, whilst the other three melted into the shadows like the wraiths of their home country. The knocking came once again, this time with a bit more urgency to it.

There were two reasons for why someone would be at the church at that time of night, it was either a Master wishing to formally place their name down as participants in the War, or it was a civilian seeking spiritual council. The first option seemed the more likely, since hardly anyone visited the church, according to Risei's other son, add to the fact that there were still two Masters unregistered: the Master of Caster, and the unknown Eighth.

When the knocking came a third time, Risei merely cried out "Enter!" as Kirei left to relay to his 'master' about what was happening.

The church doors opened, and through it walked in a member of the Church whose past was shrouded in mystery, and whose existence was a unique oddity to those who knew of the magics surrounding it. A member of the Church's Burial Agency, if his coat were anything to go by, the tan skinned, white haired man of 42, but with the face of one half his age, estranged foster child of Risei Kotomine strode, hands in pockets, towards the judge of not only the Fourth, but also the Third Holy Grail War of sixty years back.

"Hello, father…" was all he said.

"Good evening, Shirou…"

* * *

**Author's Note 3: BOOM finally I get to reveal the last player in this story, more than that I believe I've left enough hints for who Assassin and Rider might be, for most people to guess them, unless my brain is truly as warped as people say it is, then sorry, but you'll have to wait for the Servant stat sheets. Meanwhile, anyone wanna take a guess at, well anything. Like the identities of the other aspects of Assassin, or of Rider's mysterious contact, or maybe even some of the obscure locations that I made mention to. Go right ahead. **

**Now as for why I've structured chaps 1 and 2 the way I have, well wait for chapter 3 for a proper explanation, but the short answer is, because I wanted to. So there.**

**And for a serious question, should I include a Taiga Dojo style short at the end of each chapter, or not? While I wouldn't mind doing it, for I do love me some Fourth Wall Breakage, I wanna hear from you the people about whether or not it's a good idea.**

**Anyway, please review and critic as you see fit, for how else will I learn if nobody tells me.**


	4. Chapter 3: Clash part 1 (First Step)

Chapter 3: Clash: Part 1 (First Step)

**I do not own Fate/Zero, or any of the characters in this fic.**

* * *

"I understand that you had to step in as the head of this church during the War, it was part of the agreement between the Association and our order…" the man named Shirou Kotomine said as he walked towards his foster father, whom was developing some mild perspiration with each step.

Nobody knew what exactly the tanned man was. The most likely theory that had been going around the Church since his aging had slowed to barely a crawl, was that the mysterious Shirou, who had been an orphan in the Church's care, was that he was somehow a homunculus. It explained his features, and his condition, but not his lifespan; homunculi lived at most 20 years, with zero prana usage, before their bodies ceased. And yet Shirou had lived for far longer, and with an almost crazy amount of prana usage, working in multiple areas of the Church over the years.

"Imagine what would happen if either that domineering Queen, or that old fart of a Director manage to hear about the illicit partnership between Kirei, that Tohsaka Master, and yourself. I shudder at the thought…" Shirou continued with a face that conveyed nothing but innocence, yet with a tone layered with sadism.

"What do you want, Shirou?" Risei sighed. He had learned to surrender when his son got this way. It was less painful in the long run.

Shirou stopped walking, his face set to one of seriousness as his façade dropped. Looking the Judge of the Fourth Grail War in the eyes (or he would if they were ever opened), the ex-Executor/Burial Agent said "Those extra Command Seals you hold, I want half."

When a look of shock crossed Risei's face (now he opens his damned eyes), Shirou eased his fears "Fine, if it makes you feel better, as of this moment, upon receiving those Command Seals and leaving this Church, I will not form a contract with a Servant, and or enter in any way into this Grail War."

The only thing Kirei saw of the exchange was the red glow of a Seal transfer ritual.

* * *

**_In one of the numerous back allies of Fuyuki:_**

A sickly figure clad in nothing but a tracksuit, wandered around, searching for a piece of momentary sanctuary against the all-encompassing dark. Behind him, and invisible to the world, followed the thing that had hunted down, and killed all those whom it had called 'comrade', stealing their minds and bodies along the way. The only part of him visible was the existence, cloaked in illusionary flames, which had been donated to him by the woman who would become the first victim of his desire.

"Master, if I may ask, why are we out here, especially for one of your condition?" Sigma asked Kariya.

"I already told you, we're moving around so that the other Masters won't get a proper read on our location, plus the further away I am from that hell-hole of a home the better." Kariya replied, irritably. His Servant's spectre, or A.I. as it called itself, had asked that question the previous night, though it did look different, being light blue and out of focus. The only other time the spectre had been around was when it had played with Sakura before Kariya had left; it had looked purplish then, and resembled Berserker somewhat.

Sigma meanwhile was confused. This was the first time he had talked with Kariya since he and Berserker had been summoned, and he would've known if one of his siblings had asked in his stead, they were the metastability after all…

Berserker was silent throughout all this, as he looked over the medical reports of the few Matou mages he had met before leaving the house…

* * *

**_Meanwhile, with the Eighth and Avenger:_**

"I really hate that place…" Avenger muttered to his Master as the duo walked to one of the safe houses the Eighth Master had managed to procure. Said participant was busy studying the command seals he had gained because of the war.

It was common knowledge that the seals were shaped based on the Master, yet the design of his was odd. When he had shown them to Avenger, the Eighth had noticed a brief flicker of recognition hidden within his Servant's eyes, but beyond that nothing more. Whatever the design was meant to symbolise, it was because of Avenger, and not himself. The only question was why? Did it have something to do with why he was Master? Was the Grail trying to tell him something, or was this another, little joke by that glorified drinking cup? Thus he pondered on the meaning behind the seals, and how they connected to Avenger.

As the two walked, the Eighth preoccupied with his hand, and Avenger with anything but, it was only when their previous destination was out of sight that the Eighth decided to ask "What's wrong with it?"

"Just the people." Avenger sneered. He had been within spitting distance to one of the few people he had sworn to kill with absolute prejudice, and he let the bastard live. Next time though would be a different story.

"I can see what you mean…" was all Avenger's Master said before going back to his seals.

The two continued to walk in moderate silence until they had reached the safe house; a typical Shinto house, not that Avenger knew what they'd looked like before he had been 'crafted' as he called it. It wasn't much of a housing district back then. It was only when they'd arrived that Avenger noted the difference between the house they were staying in, and the one he had been summoned in.

"Tomorrow…" the Eighth spoke up "I'll need you to have familiarised with the layout of the city, the sooner the better. Thus I want you to go out and wander around, relax, have some fun, because afterwards this city is going straight to hell…"

* * *

**_The next morning:_**

Kiritsugu Emiya inspected the weaponry that Maiya, his assistant and mistress, had managed to procure for the war. It had been eight years since he left all of them to Maiya, and now, for the last time, he would use them again. Going through the necessary steps to ensure that each firearm was in proper working condition, Kiritsugu couldn't help but remember why he was in this damned bloodbath. For that one dream of his, he would damn himself once more. It wasn't as if his soul didn't already have a reservation down below, but with the Grail, the world would never again have to go through something as tragic as the taking of a life.

As he moved onto his old Thompson Contender, Maiya entered the room, carrying the last minute extra provisions after the reveal of the Eighth Master; an unknown factor was hard to plan for, but extra fire power was usually the safest option when dealing with those issues. With a glance between them, Kiritsugu went back to his inspections.

Irisveil and Saber would be landing sometime today, and then the war would start for them. Tonight they'd begin the hunt. He had to be ready before then.

Maiya, whilst also doing her own inspections of the weapons she would be using, was also watching Kiritsugu work. She watched the only man she had any form of emotional contact with since that hell she had been found in. She knew her place in his heart, and her place compared to the man's wife and daughter; it was no illusion who he loved, and who he used. She didn't care, those few moments when he was with her, he was with her and her alone.

It wasn't until the both of them were finished that a word was shared between them. "What did you discover?" Kiritsugu asked, eyes still on the weapons that were displayed.

"I investigated the area where the Eighth Master most likely performed the ritual, aside from the circle there wasn't anything to identify who they were, or which class they summoned. Most likely though, that along with the main seven, there is an Avenger class in this war, though it's only speculation due to the Einzberns' records of the Third War."

"Anything else?"

It was here that Maiya paused momentarily out of indecisiveness. Her interactions ands anxieties earlier that morning were all she had about her suspicions, and even then she had made sure to keep their current location hidden, so it was highly doubtful that anyone had followed her to the hotel. Still, she hadn't gotten this far by ignoring her instincts… If they were right, Kiritsugu deserved to know.

"I had felt as if someone was following me, I lost them before coming back here, though the feeling was strange…"

"What?" Kiritsugu asked, knowing the amount of faith hunters put into their instincts. Even he thought of them as a second religion, behind his heroics.

"At first I thought you were following me…" Maiya replied, her features the same stoic mask that had become the faces of the two Magus Killers. Yet on the inside, both were troubled by the implications.

"We'll wait until Iri and Saber arrive, we won't be able to do much without intel." Kiritsugu said after a moment of silence, before letting some of the tension in his body ease as Maiya moved closer to him.

Until they were needed, they would spend what time remained, together. An uneven dance of passion and routine. It broke Maiya's heart everytime it happened, and yet it was the only time she felt true bliss.

* * *

**_Elsewhere, in the penthouse suite of the Hyatt Hotel (again):_**

Kayneth was not a morning person. Usually it was because the lessons he taught were held late at night. Then there was the fact that his own magical research was done even later still. Thus morning for him was more or less evening for everyone else. Still if he were to win this war, he'd need to get used to little to no sleep, his internal clock be damned.

As such, because he wasn't a morning person, he never had breakfast waiting for him before, and thus usually had to make his own 'himself' (if you count the fact that he used Volumen Hydragyrum's maid form to do so as himself). So when he awoke that particular morning, he was mildly surprised to see that breakfast was ready and waiting for him. Quickly looking around for an explanation, he noticed that Sola-Ui was eating a similar meal, and that the brute, Lancer, had forgone his battle attire for his civilian form, which was just replacing the coat with an open black hooded jacket, and a dark blue suit shirt, over which he wore an apron, and was still in the kitchen area, cleaning up the cooking utensils.

If that weren't enough to convince the Lord El-Melloi of whom the creator of the meal before him was, then what his fiancée said to Lancer would.

"Lancer, that was delicious, where did you learn to cook like that?"

Lancer finished the clean up, took off his apron, and replied with "Each member of my old Organization had a hobby, to try to fill the emptiness. I chose to cook…" as Kayneth took his first bite of the meal.

Begrudgingly, Kayneth found that it was rather delicious. He was about to compliment Lancer on it, though through an insult as his pride demanded, until Sola-Ui said, "Well it tastes fantastic, you could teach Kayneth a thing or two. He chars everything black, even a bowl of cere…"

"ENOUGH!" the angered Master yelled, cutting off his fiancée before she embarrassed him more "As if this repulsive oaf could teach me anything, especially cooking!" at this Kayneth threw his breakfast towards the floor before he continued his tirade against Lancer, whom was as unfazed as a statue "That disgusting slop deserves to be on the floor! It took all my willpower to choke down that nauseating trash WITHOUT gagging!"

Kayneth continued to slander Lancer, from his cooking to his outfit, and each word against the Servant was slowly having an effect; Lancer's breathing had increased slightly, and he generally radiated an aura of malice. Sola-Ui was both far enough and clear-headed enough to slowly back away from what was most likely ground zero, where as Kayneth's anger induced stupidity kept him from noticing the growing danger he was in.

Yet it wasn't until Kayneth made the mistake of insulting Lancer's hair that he had realised he'd gone too far. Namely due to Lancer's glare upon the Lord El-Melloi, and not because of the lance blade against his jugular, drawing a trickle of blood from the pressure.

"You hold the Command Seals, so I'll only say this only once…" Lancer began, indicating the broken version of one of the Servant's more iconic lances upon Kayneth's right hand "If you wish to keep your miserable life, then there are three things you must never insult in front of me. The first is my condition, which is what I wish gone. The second is my cooking, which is the only thing that I can call mine, and the one thing I would take pride in. And the third thing you must never insult in front of me is my hair. This hair is part of my identity as an existence, and it, alongside my lances and memories, is the only connection to my old self that I still have. Is. That. Clear?"

"Y-yes, yes. Crystal clear, now remove your weapon…"

It took Lancer a moment to ponder the order before he complied. Once the Master was released, and on the floor with relief at being alive, the Servant headed for the door.

"I'll be outside, call me when you want to hunt down the other Servants." Lancer called back, before he faded from view, signalling he had gone into his spirit form.

It was at that moment, clutching his throat to make sure nothing else was wrong, that Kayneth realised how dangerous his Servant truly was, and how screwed he undoubtedly was if his own anger got the better of him again…

* * *

**_Elsewhere:_**

Archer observed the masses of Fuyuki go through their daily lives, most oblivious to what was happening right under their noses. It reminded the ex-King of when he had found the one woman whose beauty shone brighter than any of Uruk. Those people had been just as incognizant of the reality around them. At least for the first days of that War, before he had released his Ultimate Phantasm. He only wished he could face down that stupidly righteous Saber once more…

The crowds below moved onward as the day progressed, and Archer simply sat and watched. His Master had wanted him to get a layout of the city for the perfect battleground, all beneath him he watched as the pieces moved about. It was almost time for the war to start in earnest.

For now, there was movement at the docks…

* * *

**_Later that night, at the docks:_**

Saber and Irisveil slowly approached the lone figure in the dark, both of them slightly on edge. They both knew what was going on; a Servant was issuing a challenge. All the Servant-Master duos could feel the invitation, but it was the Einzbern representatives in the war that arrived first, or so it appeared. Travelling beneath the waters of the docks, swam not one, but two of the lizard-like forms of Assassin's mortal instruments, both of which were keeping a slitted red eye on the proceedings above.

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the cargo crates the Einzbern duo were being watched over by Irisveil's husband, and the true Master of Saber, Kiritsugu Emiya and his assistant Maiya Hisau, both of them having long-range firearms tracking over the Servant whom had issued the challenge, as well as scanning the area for said Servant's Master. The unidentified Servant however, was merely standing, arms crossed behind their back, slightly hunched like a cat preparing to pounce, features shrouded by the hooded coat they wore, yet the build suggested male. If Saber had to guess, the Servant before her was most likely Berserker, judging by his physique and his stance. Yet those suspicions were dashed a moment later when he spoke.

"I welcome you who accept my challenge. I am Servant Lancer. Formalities dictate that you present your title in this war as well."

With a look of confirmation, Saber loosened her tie and declared "Hear me Lancer…" a flash of light enveloped her replacing the suit that she wore as her civilian guise with a blue battle dress underneath a complementing set of European armor, sword in hand, hidden by her Invisible Air "I, Servant Saber proclaim, you will fall to my blade!" emphasising her words with a swipe of her hidden blade.

The only response given to that statement was a slow drawling chuckle of bemusement.

"Then let us begin…" and with that he thrust out his arms, as two identical lances appeared in his hands, and charged at the Swordswoman before him…

* * *

**_Elsewhere:_**

Berserker and Kariya could feel the beginning of a fight between Servants.

As Berserker snarl/growled (Kariya had decided to call it a grnarl), the A.I., a different one now, as if the shifting gold and silver colourings weren't a clue, calling itself Eta or Iota Kariya wasn't sure, translated: "What would you like us to do Master?"

Said Master had been using the wall of one the buildings that made the alleyway as a support so as to ease his tired muscles. The war had only just started, and those damn worms in his body had already made him this weak. It'd be a miracle if he lasted a week, let alone a month.

"Master…" came the weird dual pitched voice of his Servant's current A.I. representative, concern apparent in the synthesised vocal patterns.

"It'd *pant* be best if we *pant* waited to see if Tokiomi's Servant shows up." Kariya struggled to say. Berserker was a real drain on his Circuits. "If he doesn't show up soon, then *pant*, you can kill the other two…"

With a grnarl of confirmation, Berserker faded from view, and headed off towards the battle, all the while thinking up how he should make his grand reveal.

Let it not be said that he wasn't the most extravagant Freelancer…

* * *

**_Elsewhere, at the highest point of Fuyuki City:_**

Archer could see the fight just getting started. While the cloaked Servant was unidentifiable for some odd reason, the Swordswoman was eerily familiar to the Tohsaka Servant.

_It couldn't be…_

This was something he had to see up close, just to be sure. Plus, if he were both lucky and sneaky enough, the twin blade user would be able to cut the charge time of his Ultimate Phantasm down by an hour, maybe a day.

* * *

**_Elsewhere, in the sewers of Fuyuki:_**

"Hey, what's wrong?" Uryuu asked Caster, confused as to why she would suddenly stop work on their shared 'masterpiece' all of a sudden. To the psychotic artist the past couple of nights had been some of the best with Caster's help. Uryuu had not only managed to gather more and more children easily, but the fact that they had been so willing to follow him made it even sweeter.

Then there was her method of preparing the children for display. She had managed to put each and every child in a kind of nightmare where they experienced the worst of the worst of humanity that she had ever seen. Anytime one of the children experienced the highest level of fear possible, or if they utterly broke from the onslaught of horror, only then would they die, via a massive heart spasm. This left their bodies mostly preserved, with either a look of genuine terror or the blank expressionless face of someone so broken and hollow one look into their cold, empty eyes that defied all logic that would send even the most gentlest of giants into a mad fury. All of it was icing on the cake that was Uryuu's life since he had met Caster.

After the children were prepared, Uryuu, with his eye for the artistic, would then take the lead, and the two would turn the remains into a sick, perverse, parody of art, all of them getting ready to be put on display soon. The macabre maestro Master could hardly wait to see the faces of the boring 'normal' people when they finally saw his masterpieces.

Sure, a few times after the two had formed their gruesome partnership, Caster would go out on her own, sometimes finding more children, sometimes to grab a lite snack, something that she could 'sink her teeth into' always fondling her weapon when she said such things. But when she did that, it was usually after the two had long finished their little 'arts and crafts' sessions.

A long moment passed them by, and Caster spent it looking off towards the exit of their little hideout, a sinister smile slowly creeping upon her disturbingly serene face. It was only when she had started her cruel giggling that Uryuu asked her again what was wrong.

"Brother," Caster stated in that twistedly cute voice of hers, calling her Master by her pet name for him, "I'm going to have to leave early. Don't worry, I'll return shortly, but know that I have to go…"

"Oh," Uryuu blinked, not really sure what to do. "Want me to come with?" he asked, hoping she would say no; he really wanted to finish his masterpiece.

At this Caster giggled once more, causing the corpses to flinch (Uryuu so loved it when she did that) before reassuring him "No, I'd actually love it if you stayed here. Work on your projects, I'll be back soon…"

And with that Caster disappeared from Uryuu's eyes, not that he was surprised; Caster was always doing cool stuff like that. Mind back on his 'art' Uryuu pondered whether or not he should open the ribcage from the front, or the back…

* * *

**_Elsewhere, around the area where the Eighth was staying:_**

Avenger halted in the middle of the street, before his gaze was drawn to the direction of the docks; the crimson servant had sensed the fight just as surely as all the others had as well. Yet something was strange about the fight, or rather one of the combatants in said fight. Avenger could've sworn their presence felt… familiar somehow…

As the former, self-proclaimed Hero of Justice, took a step in the direction of the battle, his Master, the Eighth, stepped out in front of him. The two locked eyes immediately, both of them having an idea of what the other was likely to do, and both unwilling to back down from their positions. seconds passed, and when it threatened to go into minutes, the Avenger's Master sighed, and merely said "Watch. Do NOT engage, unless the fight turns disadvantageous for one of them. I don't want anyone out this early. Understood?"

With his victory over his Master, Avenger gave a cocky smile, a sarcastic "Yes, my Master." and was last seen leaping in the direction of the docks.

A lingering gaze, and another sigh was all the Eighth acknowledged of Avenger's departure, before he headed back inside. Last night none of the dreams came to the wildcard of the Fourth War. He wondered if there was a way of speeding up that particular aspect. After all, if his theory was correct, he needed to know as much about the man Avenger was before the Eighth finally stepped into the spotlight. The hour was soon approaching for his grand debut…

* * *

**_Elsewhere, atop the Fuyuki Bridge:_**

Rider sat, looking at the duality of the city. He was still as mystified as the last time he saw the city, by how much it resembled himself. "Uuwahahah!" came the terrified, sobbing wail of Waver as he clutched the same steel frame that Rider was sitting on, trying and failing to not look down and imagine how easy it'd be for the young English mage to fall to his death. When Rider had told him that he wanted to see the city like no one else had, Waver at first thought his Servant was going to start flying on his motorcycle again. Instead he had pulled Waver into something that could only be described as a physical, shifting, swirling wall of TV snow, and then the two were on top of a bridge. Waver had then latched onto the closest solid object, the frame of the bridge, and had yet to let go.

Suddenly Rider was shaken out of his musings by the distinct feeling of Servants in battle. As he stood up to get a better understanding of who could be fighting, Waver noticed the smirk upon his face, and whimpered some more. It was the exact same one Rider had worn when he had opened that damn portal thing earlier. Him wearing it now could only mean one thing…

"Waver, we're heading off."

_Of course we are…_

A moment later the duo were standing in the shadows of one of the shipping crates that was stacked on top of at least two others, both observing the deliberately evasive manoeuvres of the one who was obviously the Servant Lancer of this war, and the graceful dance strikes of the second. From what Waver could see the second Servant, who looked like a girl roughly the same age as himself, was holding something unseen, most likely her weapon, yet something was off; to Waver it seemed as if she didn't want her weapon to come in contact with Lancer in anyway. But that couldn't be right…

"Waver, down." Rider whispered to him, before the Servant forced his Master's head down, as something whizzed right through the area it had been only a moment ago.

_What the…_

Before Waver could finish his thought Rider leapt up, pulled out his gun from behind his back, loaded it with something and took aim…

* * *

**_Above all that:_**

The second aspect of Assassin that held sway over the rest sat, as 'Listener', silent and unseen atop the dock crane to the various Servants that had shown up since the fight between Saber and Lancer had begun. As the battle continued, the aspect could feel something stirring within them, something that had been dormant for an innumerable amount of time, not since the struggle against the first of their kind. The Servants down below, both of them were like the aspect.

_And here I thought I'd be bored with that priest using my Sneak skill to spy on people…_

_Never would I thought I'd find not one but two… _

The being that had been known as Ysmir, Dragon of the North, smiled under their cowl, as they grasped the handle of the blade called Windshear, and prayed to whoever/whatever would listen (the various gods they had worshipped, the daemonic entities they had made pacts with, even the Lord the aspect served both in life, and now as an aspect of the class said Lord was summoned under for the war) that they'd have a chance to enter the war completely…

And hopefully soon.

* * *

**Author's Note 4: So here we are again, at the end of another chapter of 'Return to Zero'. The reason why this one took a while was because of various stuff. University Exams, a convention, a couple of car accidents, some birthdays, Doctor Who's 50****th**** and Christmas Specials, Christmas, some movies, spending time with friends and family, running a Diplomacy game via e-mail, and finally because I'm a procrastinating slob. Now I believe I promised you all an explanation for the story structure, well here we go:**

**I wanted to bring in all the main characters right at the beginning, but then I wanted to follow loosely with how The Infamous Man presented his fanfic Fate:Zero Sense, which you all should go read due to it's creativity and humour. Because of that I kinda wrote myself into a bit of a corner with how to set about going with chapter 2, so I included a bit with Rider and Waver's first outing together, at a café that is commonplace in the Nasuverse, because why not. It was written for purely padding in an otherwise incredibly short chapter (other stuff would be added in as well, such as Tokiomi's POV directly after the Flashback, but in essence the chapter was less than half as long before the additions). Thus that's how it all came to be.**

**Now as for chapter stuff. As I've said I would like to loosely follow along with TIM's story structure, thus Servant statuses should be up, if not next chapter then the one directly after it, so for those whom are still guessing at the identities you don't have much time left (relatively speaking) before all their identities are known for all to see. Also, I would like to know which Servant status to start off with? I seriously want to know, and unless I feel that the reveal would be too spoilery, I'll reveal them to you all, cool?. Along with that there is also the question I posed last time about whether or not I should do a little Omake after each chapter of the Taiga Dojo, or something similar, to serve as a brief comedy moment in what promises to be a pretty dark fic, as well as preview for the next chapter.**

**Anyways, that's all for this chapter, so until next time, review, watch out for psycho artists, Merry Belated Christmas, Happy New Year, review again, and basically just have fun. Sash out.**


End file.
